Copyholder



Sept. 1, 1953 R. T. ADKlNs ETAL 2,650,559

ATTORNEY Sept. 1, 1953 R. T. ADKlNs ETAL 2,650,569

COPYHOLDER Filed NOV. 29. 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS` ROBERT 7T ABK/N5 8 BY RICHARD J. Kl/SGHEL ATTORNEY SePtl; 1953 R. T. ADKlNs ETAL 2,650,569

COPYHOLDER Filed NOV. 29. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN1/mfom @05E/vr r Aok/Ns a BY MoH/m0 J. /rusoHEL MUM/MAW ATTUR/VEY Patented Sept. l, 1953 'UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE coPYHoLDER Robert T. Adkins, Lakewood, and Richard J. Kuschel, North Olmsted,` Ohio Application November 29, 1951, Serial No. 258,816

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in copyholders and is a continuation in part of the invention disclosed in our copending application, Robert T. Adkins and Richard J. Kuschel, Serial No. 221,104, filed April 14, 1951, for Copyholders, patented April 7, 1953, No. 2,633,828. 1

In our above identified copending application We disclose a copyholder having, in addition to the usual hand knob rotatable to move the feed roller in either direction, a separate and independent manual lever operating feed mechanism for operating the feed roller and copy sheet in line, step-by-step advance. In other words, the feed mechanism includes Va pawl and ratchet mechanism that is adjustable for one, two, or three line feed upon each operation of the lever as a result of which a pawl engages a ratchet only in the copy sheet advance operation, and not in its spring return, so as to permit manual operation of the usual manual knob independently of the pawl and ratchet in either direction.

`One of the primary objects of our present invention is to replace this manual pawl and ratchet feed mechanism `with a copy feed mechanism that is capable of an infinite degree of adjustments for any desired copy sheet advance upon each operation of the manual lever, or other control, as distinguished over a predetermined one, two, or three line advance. y

Another object ofthe invention is to provide such a manually operable cop-y sheet feed mechanism that includes a simple and improved brake mechanism for normally holding the feed roller stationary and a brake band tensioning mechanism actuated by manual control so as to overcome the braking of the feed roller to advance the copy sheet feed roller to a predetermined degree in accordance with a simple adjusting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the copy sheet and its feed roller may be adjusted in either direction or angularly with respect to the axis of rotation of the feed roller independently of the adjustable copy sheet feed, mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides in the combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter set forth in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanied drawings in which:

Figure l is a view in front elevation of the copyholder, the feed roller, front and rear guard, a copy sheet, press rollers, adjustable feed mechanism and manual roller knobs;

Figure 2 is a View in end elevation of the device as viewed along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a View in end elevation of the device with the end cover plate removed, as viewed along line 3-3 of Figure l, the manual operating lever and mechanism operated thereby being shown in full lines in normal at-rest position and in broken lines in two steps of operation of the manual lever;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the manual operating lever and the mechanism operated thereby at the completion of its manual movement for advancing the feed roller and the copy sheet to a predetermined degree;

Figure 5 is a View in section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3 showing the operating drum with two peripheral channels, the drum bands being omitted;

Figure 6 is a view in section taken along lines 6-5 of Figure 3 showing the adjusting screw for adjusting the fulcrum of the manual lever or predetermining the degree of feed roll advance upon each operation of the manual lever;

Figure '7 is a View in section taken along line 'I--l of Figure 5 showing one channel of the actuating drum band and manually operable means for tightening the band and connected to the operating lever for advancing the shaft of the feed roll; and

Figure 8 is a View in section taken along line 8--8 of Figure 5 showing the other channel of the drum and its drum band under spring tension to apply a constant braking effect on the feed roll shaft.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in front elevation a copyholder assembly including .a copy feed roller I rigid with a rotatable shaft 2 and a pair of manual knobs 3, one on each end of the shaft, for rotating the shaft and roller in either direction. The copyholder also includes a front guard 4 and a rear guard 5L The copy sheet 6 is moved between the feed roller I and the front guard 4 and between the frontrguard 4 and rear guard 5 by the feed roller I. The purpose of rear guard 5 is to prevent the folding over of copy sheet B immediately above the top level of the feed roller. The front guard is provided with a pair of openings l. Secured to the bottom of front guard t are a pair of leaf springs B and 9, each of which has its upper end forked to respectively support rubber press rollers I0 andA II which are spring urged by springs 8 and 9 through openings 'I into engagement with the copy sheet 6 to resiliently force the copy sheet against the feed roller I. In normal copy sheet feed operation either by knobs 3, or by other adjustable means yet to be described, the two press rollers IIJ and I i are rolled together by rotation of the feed roller. However, these two press rollers may be separately and independently manually rolled in either direction to adjust and insure straight alignment of the copy sheet in the copyholder.

The copyholder includes two end walls I2 and i3 secured to a base I4 provided with legs I5. A manual rotation of knob 3 rotates the feed roller and, through the resilient pressure of press rollers I and II urging the copy sheet against the feed roller, there is insured .a movement of the copy sheet between the front and rear guards l and 5 to any degree, depending upon the extent of manual rotation of the manual knobs 3 and upon the direction of rotation.

Such a copyholder employing only the knobs for copy sheet feed is a workable device but not an efficient one because it would entail .too much trouble for a typist whose primary object is to combine speed and accuracy. In our above identified copending patent application, we disclose a separate manual feed mechanism for operating the feed roller and copy sheet in lineby-line, step-by-step advance. The feed mechanisrn includes a pawl and ratchet mechanism that is adjustable for one, two or three line feed upon each operation of a lever as a result of which the pawl engages the ratchet only in the copy sheet advancing operation, and not in its spring return, so as to avoid ratcheting on the spring return stroke and so as to permit manual operation of the usual manual knob independently in either desired direction.

In our present invention, we propose to replace this pawl and ratchet feed mechanism with a copy sheet feed mechanism that is capable of an infinite vdegree of adjustments for any desired degree of copy sheet advance upon each operation of the manual lever or other control, as distinguished over a predetermined one, two or three line advance.

Accordingly, on one end of shaft 2 we mount a single drum I9 and rigidly and removably secure the drum to the shaft by means of a set screw l1. This drum, generally indicated at I6, has two parallel peripheral channels la and i9. We provide for the outer drum channel i9 a brake band 2e secured by a bracket 2i to base I4. The brake band 2B passes over the major portion ofchannel I9 and its other end is secured to a tension coil spring 22 which is secured to base I4 so as to provide a means for applying a continuous spring tension braking effect on the drum I6. Around the other drum channel I3 we place a metal band 23 whose two ends nt in a slot 24 of a rotatably mounted barrel 25. In normal, at rest position the band 23 is loose on the drum. Outwardly of the drum we mount a disc 26 so as to be freely rotatable on shaft 2. This disc 26 has an arm 2'! that extends over the top of the drum to have an inner depending arm 28 that together with the outer disc portion 26 rotatably supports the slotted barrel 25.

Manually operable lever 29 is pivotally secured at 39 to an internally threaded collar 44. Pivotally secured to lever 29 at 3i is a link 32 that is pivotally secured at 33 to a short link 34 that is pivotally secured to the slotted barrel 25. This assembly is normally held in the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 by a tension spring 36 connected to housing and the arm 21 of disc 26, and also by spring 42 connected to lever 29 and arm 4l of collar 44. The copy sheet feed advancing mechanism is enclosed in a removable housing 33. In this housing is arranged for rotation a screw shaft 39 manually operable in either direction by a knob 49. Carried by the screw shaft 39 is a travelling internally threaded collar 44 so as to be vertically movable on vertical screw 39. This adjusts the fulcrum pivot 39 of the manual lever 29 so as to adjust its stroke to adjust the degree of copy sheet feed roller advance upon each manual operation of the lever down to the rubber cushion stop 46.

As stated before, the spring 22 keeps the brake band taut around the outer drum channel I9 to at all times exert a resilient braking effect on the drum against rotation in either direction. Manual depression of lever 29 pulls down levers 32 and 34 to rotate the slotted barrel 25 in a clockwise direction on nut 35, as viewed in Figure 7. If it were not for the connection between the slotted barrel 25 and the brake band 23 the link 34 would continue to pivot and disc 26 would not rotate. The effect of this rotation of the barrel 25 is to tighten the brake band 23 about the inner drum channel I8. This tightening action takes place during the movement of the manual lever 29 from its full line position to the dotted line position indicated at 29A. Consequently, further depression of lever 29 from the full line position of Figure 3 downwardly to position shown in dotted lines at 29B in Figure 3, or the full line position Shown in Figure 4, rotates the disc 26, the drum I B, the shaft 2 connected to the drum and consequently the feed roll I. This is due to the fact that the brake band 23 has been sufficiently tightened on the inner drum channel I8 so that operation of the lever 29 will overcome the resilient braking effect of brake band 20 and its spring 22 and rotate the drum and feed roll. For convenience in operation, a cross bar 43 is shown as connected to lever 29 and extending across the front of the copy holder for manual engagement for actuating lever 29. Upon manual release of lever 29 after its manual depression to advance the feed roller and its copy sheet to a predetermined desired degree, the spring 22 continues to apply a braking effect through its band 23 on the outer drum channel i9, while spring 36 rocks lever 34 to immediately rotate a slotted barrel 25 in a reverse direction to relieve any clamping effect of brake band 23 on the inner drum channel I8. The return spring 33 also rocks levers 32 and 29 from the depressed position of Figure 4 back to their positions of Figure 3 for the succeeding manual lever operated step by step advancement of the feed roller and the copy sheet.

In order to predetermine the amount of advance of the copy sheet upon each manual operation of lever 29 just described we may merely rotate the knob 40 in either desired -direction to vertically adjust the traveling collar 44 on its vertical screw thread 39 to adjust the fulcrum and the degree. Thus, the manual operation in depressing lever 29, the amount of advancement of the feed roller and its copy sheet may be predetermined to a virtually infinite degree.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided an improved copyholder in which a variable clutch and brake mechanism has been incorporated whereby a manual control may be operated to advance the copy sheet step-by-step in an infinitely adjustable predetermined degree, and, upon release of the manual control, the feed roller knobs and the independent press rollers may be operated in either direction for movement of the copy sheet.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end walls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to advance said feed roller, a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a variable clutch means including a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to Said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having an arm. extending to be parallel on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and connected to the two ends of said second band, pivoted linkage means for connecting said lever, intermediate of its length, to said barrel, and through said barrell to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clan1ping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said barrel, being adapted to first rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said sheet.

2. In a device of the character described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end wal-ls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to advance said feed roller, a manual knob on said shaft for rotating said feed roller in either direction, a variable clutch means comprising a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partiallyT around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum, in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having an arm extending to be parallel on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and connected to the two ends of said second band, pivoted linkage means for connecting said lever, intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said barrel, being adapted to first rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said sheet.

3. In a device of the characterv described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end walls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end Walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to advance said feed roller, a manual knob on said shaft for rotating said feed roller in either direction, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having an arm extending on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and having a longitudinal slotl to receive the two ends of said second band, pivoted linkage means for connecting said lever, intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel,

6-, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said. barrel, being adapted to rst rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said copy sheet, an adjustment device including a collar to which one end of said lever is pivotally connected and a manually rotatable screw engaging said collar to adjust the collar vertically to vertically adjust the end pivot fulcrum of said lever to limit the down stroke of said manual lever to predetermine the advance of said sheet for each manual operation of said manual lever.

4. In a device of the character described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end walls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to advance said feed roller, a manual knob on said shaft for rotating said feed roller in either direction, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having an arm extending on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and having a longitudinal slotltoreceive the two ends of said second band, pivoted linkage means for connecting said lever, intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection. with said barrel, being adapted to rotate said barrel to first clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said sheet, an adjustment device including a collar to which one end of said lever is pivotally connected and a manually rotatable screw engaging said collar to adjust the collar vertically to vertically adjust the end pivot fulcrum of said lever to limit the down stroke of said manual lever to predetermine the advance of said sheet for each manual operation of said manual lever, a pair of press rollers mounted on shafts and spring pressed to resiliently urge said sheetV into frictional rotative engagement with said feed roll, said press rollers being independently rotatable in either direction to insure straight alignment of said sheet in said copyholder.

5. In a device of the character described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end walls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to advance said feed roller, a manual knob on said shaft for rotating said feed roller in either direction, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of .parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking eiect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum in said' other chan-A nel, an operating disc loosely mounted on saidV shaft externally of saidY drum and having an army extending on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and connected to the two ends of said second band pivoted linkage means for connectingI said lever, intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc yand its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said barrel, being adapted to first rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said sheet, an adjustment device including a collar to whi-ch one end of said lever is pivotally connected and a manually rotatable screw engaging said collar to adjust the collar vertically to vertically adjust the end pivot fulcrum of said lever.

S. In a device of the characted described for advancing sheets of material, a housing including a base and end Walls, a sheet feed roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end walls, a pivoted manual lever for rotating said shaft to Vadvance said feed roller, a manual knob on said sh'aftfor rotating said shaft to advance 'said feed roller,` in either direction, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid withsaid shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchoredthrough a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having an arm extending on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and connected to the two ends of said second band piv-l oted linkage means for connecting said lever, intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said barrel, being adapted to rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said shaft feed roll and advance said sheet, an adjustment device including a collar to which said lever is pivotally connected at one end and a manually rotatable screw engaging said collar to adjust the collar vertically to vertically adjust theend pivot fulcrum of said lever, to limit the down stroke of said manual level to predetermine the advance of said sheet for each manual operation of said manual lever, a pair of press rollers mounted on shafts yand spring pressed to resiliently urge said sheet into frictional rotative engagement with said feed roll, said press rollers being independently rotatable in either direction to insure straight alignment of said sheet in said copyholder.

7. In a housing including a base and end walls, a pivoted lever for rotating said shaft to advance said roller, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking effect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum, in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having a parallel extension arm on the other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and having a connection to the two ends of said second band pivoted linkage means for connectingsaid lever intermediate of its ends to said barrel and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said barrel, being adapted to rst rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said roller to advance the same.

8. In a housing including a base and end walls, a roller mounted on a shaft rotatable in said end Walls, a manual lever pivoted at one end for rotating said shaft to advance said roller, a variable clutch means including a drum rigid with said shaft, said drum having a pair of parallel peripheral channels, a brake band extending partially around one of said channels and anchored through a spring to said base for exerting a resilient braking eifect on said drum, a second band extending around said drum, in said other channel, an operating disc loosely mounted on said shaft externally of said drum and having a parallel extension arm onthe other side of said drum, a barrel rotatably carried by said disc and extension arm and having a connection to the two ends of said second band, pivoted linkage means connecting said manual lever intermediate of its length to said barrel, and through said barrel to said disc, spring means for normally holding said disc and its barrel in an upper position to release the clamping effect of said second band on said drum, said barrel, upon operation of said manual lever and its linkage connection with said disc said barrel, being adapted to iirst rotate said barrel to clamp said second band about said drum and to then in sequence overcome the spring tension brake band to rotate said disc, barrel and drum to rotate said roller to advance the same, an adjustment device including a collar to one end of which said manual lever is pivotally connected and a manually rotatable screw engaging said collar to adjust the collar vertically to vertically adjust the end pivot fulcrum of said manual lever to predetermine the limit of movement thereof on each manual operation.

ROBERT T. ADKIENS. RICHARD J. KUSCHEL,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

